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United States Patent | 6,231,513 |
Daum ,   et al. | May 15, 2001 |
The present invention is directed to apparatuses and methods for determining blood flow characteristics and imaging interior surface contours within vessel walls. In a preferred embodiment, the method of the invention includes a hollow tubular lumen having a proximal end and distal end wherein the distal end includes a microbubble forming arrangement for forming microbubbles when a gas is passed through the distal end of the hollow tube.
Inventors: | Daum; Wolfgang (Schwerin, DE); Kloess; Wolfgang (Lubeck, DE) |
Assignee: | Daum GmbH (Schwerin, DE) |
Appl. No.: | 172387 |
Filed: | October 14, 1998 |
Current U.S. Class: | 600/458 |
Intern'l Class: | A61B 008/00 |
Field of Search: | 600/458,459,431,420 604/24,26,509 75/414 424/9.52 |
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